


hold courage to your chest

by 2720hester



Category: Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Getting Together, M/M, more tags to be added probably, they're a study group that's also sort of a gang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-12 23:45:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7953781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2720hester/pseuds/2720hester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The fact that the five of them ended up forming a study group is somewhat of a miracle, since half of them can't stand each other and the other half make out all the time. The fact that they actually manage to study is even more of a miracle.</i>
</p>
<p>In which friendships are formed, flautists are wooed, and schoolwork is shamelessly ignored in favour of gossip and criminal activities.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't wait for Crooked Kingdom oh my goooooosh
> 
> Six of Crows is supposed to be set in an alternate version of Amsterdam, and since I'm Dutch myself I love that, so this fic is set in the Netherlands too. It probably won't be very noticeable, but just in case anything seems weird or doesn't match up to the American school system, that's why.
> 
> Title taken from King by Years & Years.
> 
> Warning for some homophobic language in this chapter!

Jesper thinks that there might be nothing worse about attending a Christian high school than the compulsory Christmas assembly every year.

And he's really not against Christmas. Last year, he and the rest of the study group hung out at the apartment that Kaz had already bought for the moment he turned eighteen and could move in there, though he was still in a foster home at that point. They had drunk homemade eggnog and played some truly horrendous board games, Nina and Matthias had yelled at each other for a bit and then made out in the bathroom for half an hour like usual. It had started snowing like it should on any true Christmas, and even Inej, who was very strictly non-Christian, had decided that Christmas was a pretty good time.

However, their school has some very different ideas about what constitutes a successful Christmas. A month before Christmas (a full month, to be ahead of the holidays each year) Ketterdam High School organises a special, compulsory holiday assembly, and manages to suck all the joy out of what could be a lovely happening by having the glee club dress up in elf outfits and the teachers singing along to some very butchered Christmas carols. There are also prayers said, a concert by the school orchestra, and a section of the bible is read aloud by the Dean, Mr Rollins.

Inej usually manages to covertly fall asleep halfway through the ceremony, much to Jesper's envy.

This year, however, it turns out that the school has thought to incentivize its students, and incentive comes in the form of the kid sitting in the back of the orchestra behind some very offkey violins. His curly hair reminds Jesper somewhat of the angels in old Renaissance paintings. When he brings his flute to his mouth, he closes his eyes for a moment, and an almost imperceptible wrinkle appears in his forehead in concentration. It may be the cutest thing Jesper has ever seen.

He nudges Kaz beside him, who, rather than watching the proceedings, is looking at Inej's head resting on his leather-clad shoulder. Normally, Jesper would make some kind of comment and probably get his ass kicked, but it _is_ Christmas (or a month from Christmas in any case). So he just whispers to Kaz, “Who's the kid with the red-blondish curls and the flute back there?”

Kaz, who is clearly grateful that Jesper is keeping his mouth shut about his little voyeur-show but will also never express gratitude in a million years, pulls on a perfect poker-face and answers, in a low voice, “Wylan van Eck. He's one year below us.”

Jesper raises his eyebrows and lets out a low whistle, which turns a few heads in the row in front of them. 'Van Eck, like, _Van Eck's_ Van Eck?'

“That's his father,” Kaz confirms, staring down the kids in front of them until they turn around again with their tails between their legs. Satisfied, he unsubtly takes to looking at Inej again.

Nina leans in on Jesper's other side and wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. “Have you found a new victim already? You were making out with Julia in the hallway literally a week ago, dude, class it up.”

He shoves her in the gut, but there's no force behind it, and she snickers, eyes on the stage again like she's listening avidly. Jesper follows her lead.

The orchestra finishes with a flourish on the last note, and the members get up to the polite and somewhat relieved applause of the school. When the conductor bows, Wylan goes to bow too, and when he realises that the rest is still standing straight, he blushes all the way down to his ears, and looks around the hall quickly to see if anybody has noticed.

Jesper has. It was adorable. He's going after this kid, damn whatever Nina has to say about it.

Beside him, she smirks like she's reading his mind.

\---

The fact that the five of them ended up forming a study group is somewhat of a miracle, since half of them can't stand each other and the other half make out all the time. The fact that they actually manage to study is even more of a miracle.

It had started with Kaz's giant crush on Inej and his utter inability to be at all subtle about it. Kaz insisted that he'd only figured that Inej would make a great right hand in his lowkey drug dealing business, which was admittedly also a good point, because she was a very good right hand, and sneaky as hell, too.

Either way, they'd shared a Dutch class together, and their teacher, Heleen (she was one of those teachers who insisted on being called by their first names, much to the dismay of her students) had it in for Inej from the very first class. She consistently referred to Inej as 'the Arab girl in the back' even though Inej had told her that she was actually Indian at least a dozen times (not that being referred to as 'the Indian girl' would be a lot better). There were so many snide remarks thrown her way that Kaz had eventually cut in with words that had undergone so much transformation in the rumour mill that Jesper was no longer sure what to believe. Kaz denied none of the rumours.

From that day on, Kaz and Inej had remained some kind of friends, though Jesper wasn't sure anyone could actually be friends with Kaz. Most of the time they were polite to each other, a little cold, terrifyingly tension-filled. There was a bet between the rest of them on how long it would be before they gave in and slept together, the way Nina and Matthias had done ages ago.

Nina and Inej met in detention after they'd both called the same teacher out on being a sexist jerk in subsequent periods. Delighted, they made some kind of friendship pact involving manicures and waffles after school, the way Jesper supposed girls sealed all their deals. Inej gave Nina a bottle of pepper spray, and Nina joined the study group immediately after. Jesper, who had become a member by virtue of knowing Inej since kindergarten and constantly whistling loudly after Kaz's scathing remarks, is more terrified of Nina than he is of Kaz. At least with Kaz you know what level of terrifying to expect.

So that’s pretty much the study group, except for Matthias, who is a bit of an odd member, anyway, because he sometimes decides that he’s a better person than all of them and refuses to talk to them for a bit. Nobody minds very much. The only reason he sticks around most of the time, they suspect, is Nina, and anyway, they sort of hate each other, too. Their relationship exists mainly by virtue of class debates, during which they yell at each other a lot, to the annoyance of their teachers. At least those teachers don't have to listen to them bickering outside of class as well, Jesper figures. Or catch them making out in the broom closets afterwards.

Despite all the sexual tension, which leaves Jesper feeling like somewhat of a fifth wheel a lot of the time, they actually do manage to study together occasionally, helping each other with homework and quizzing each other when they have tests coming up. And in the meantime Kaz sells drugs and pines for Inej, and Jesper hooks up with girl after girl and the occasional boy, and Matthias maintains that he’s better than everybody, and everything is absolutely fine.

\---

So, Jesper is going to sleep with the flautist.

“How do you even know he's gay?” Nina asks critically, jotting down something from her biology book.

“He plays flute,” Matthias says dismissively, “his being straight is clearly not the problem here.” Matthias is there because Inej has a geography test the next day, and Matthias is the only one of them who knows jack shit about geography. Also, in his own words, Inej is the only one who deserves to pass her tests, so he is willing to suffer the rest of them to help her. 

(Matthias is really fucking extra, Jesper and Inej have agreed.)

Nina scoffs. “That reasoning is based on stereotypes and completely baseless and you know it. That said, I do agree that our problem is not Van Eck's sexuality but Jesper's mating habits.”

Matthias snorts under his breath. “ _Mating habits._ ” He shakes his head dramatically, and Nina scowls at him, looking ready to start a fight, as usual.

Inej cuts in quickly. “She's right, Jesper, and you know it. You're going through girls and guys like a queen bee.”

“I don't see the problem, nor how that is any of your business,” Jesper answers in a polite tone, batting his eyelashes a little. “Also, I don't usually put in the effort of actually going after them - I just let 'em come to me - so you should consider this a step in the right direction.”

Shaking her head, Inej turns back to her book, as did Nina and Matthias. There’s a short pause.

“Where the hell is Kaz, anyway?” Jesper says, with a little bit more vigour than necessary. He can't help it - there is some kind of restless energy that won't leave his bones, and the geography book in front of him is doing nothing to lure him in. “Shouldn't he be here to decide for us where on the moral spectrum we are?”

“Off with a client somewhere,” Inej supplies without looking up.

“Drugs again?” Matthias exclaims in a whisper that's closer to a yell. He’s immediately shushed from all sides. “I thought he was cutting that out,” Matthias continues at a slightly lower tone, sounding as though Kaz was personally offending him by continuing this business.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Inej says dismissively. “Seriously, it’s all very lowkey. Nobody’s getting hurt.”

“Until he gets in trouble with the _law_ ,” Matthias growls. He wasn’t there when they had this conversation the first time with Kaz, of course, but Jesper is still fed up with him for not just adjusting and being fine with it like the rest of them. 

“You really think Kaz can’t handle himself?” he says, annoyed. “Unless you’re thinking of snitching on him, it’s nothing he can’t handle. And have you seen how much he’s making? Jesus Christ, he could trade in his apartment for a mansion if he keeps this up for a few years.” 

“His apartment really is terrible,” Inej contemplates. “Like, it makes my dad’s place look shitty, and he’s a _poet_. He’s broke, like, half the time.”

“Maybe Kaz can buy you guys a new place too,” Nina suggests, rummaging through her bag. She fishes out a lipgloss and smears her lips, puckering them a few times before adding, “Or, you know, you and Kaz could just move in together like other couples.”

“ _Nina_!” Inej prods her in the side, and takes the lipgloss that Nina offers her. “Stop saying we’re gonna date. And especially stop saying it in front of Kaz!” 

“His face was so funny though,” Nina says with a smirk. “How else am I supposed to make Kaz Brekker blush?”

“Doing the Lord’s work,” Jesper agrees. 

At that moment Kaz walks in, and everyone turns to their books immediately. Jesper tries and fails to wipe the lingering grin off his face.

Kaz looks at him suspiciously, but he doesn’t ask, merely sits down at his spot and looks around the table. “So. Geography today?”

“Geography,” Matthias agrees, scowl in place again.

\---

Jesper isn’t even actively searching Wylan out the next time he comes across him, but he’s pretty glad it happened, anyway. Because apparently the Lord has blessed him by putting Wylan’s locker directly next to his. Jesper figures that this can only be an example of heavenly intervention, and then worries that this school is rubbing off on him.

Wylan is trying to stuff a pile of books bigger than his own torso into the locker, which is a little too high for him to reach properly. Jesper is just about to offer to help him when Rutger, who is the kind of notoriously evil jock you only find in bad high school movies, shows up out of nowhere, jostling Wylan from behind. The books all crash to the floor in a flurry of paper, and Jesper only just catches a snickered “ _Fag_ ,” before Rutger has disappeared again.

Wylan is already on his knees on the floor, gathering his fallen belongings together before anyone trips over them. Jesper crouches down beside him, and picks up a few books, making them into a neat pile the way Wylan is doing.

Wylan only looks up after a few moments, and looks a little shocked to see somebody else beside him. “What are you doing?” he asks uncertainly.

“Helping you,” Jesper answers, matter-of-fact. “You okay? Rutger’s a real jerk, you should keep out of his way.” He hands Wylan his books, which the other boy takes gently.

“Real helpful advice, man,” Wylan says with a roll of his eyes, and immediately looks abashed. “Sorry. Thanks for helping me with the books. That was cool of you.”

“I’m a pretty cool guy,” Jesper says easily. Wylan pulls a sceptic face before covering it quickly with a blank smile, but Jesper spots it. “What?”

“Nothing.” Wylan pauses, blushing. “It’s just - you’re Jesper Fahey, right?”

“Yeah?”

“So, you’re part of Brekker’s clique. Too good for the rest of us and all, you guys really have that air of superiority going for you. I’m just - I’m surprised you’d stoop down to help the losers of this school, is all.” His blush is creeping all the way down his neck. Jesper idly wonders just how deep it goes.

“Sorry. That was - sorry,” Wylan stammers, when Jesper forgets to say anything in favour of staring at his cherry-red face. “I’m gonna go. Thank you for the books. Sorry.” He stuffs the books haphazardly into his locker and closes it with a bang.

“Hey,” Jesper says, when the younger boy turns to leave, grabbing him by the shoulder. Wylan spins back to face him, eyes wide. “It’s fine. Is that really what everyone thinks of us? The amazing, superior Brekker clique?”

“I dunno. Kind of, I guess.” Wylan shrugs apologetically. “Clearly it’s not based on anything, but, you know, you’re kind of untouchable up there. Also Brekker’s alleged drug dealing really adds to the air of ‘don’t mess with us’. Not that I’d know anything about that if someone questioned me, of course,” he adds quickly. God, this kid is jumpy.

“Damn straight you don’t know anything about it,” Jesper says with an easy grin, leaning against his locker in a way that he hopes looks very cool. It’s got, like, a seventy percent success rate, after all. Then he continues, curious, “Is that really how everybody here sees us, then?”

Wylan hoists his backpack onto his shoulder and looks Jesper in the eye, almost challenging. “Well, I bet you’ve never been shoved into a locker or had to gather your books off the floor, so you’re clearly doing something right.” He tilts his head. “I’m gonna be late for class. See you around. Thanks for helping me, again.” 

He turns around and walks off before Jesper can stop him again to ask for his name (which he already knows, of course, but he likes to avoid coming off as _that_ stalkerish). He pushes himself off the locker and looks at the head of wild curls receding in the crowd.

Damn whatever his friends say, he is _so_ gonna date this kid.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the positive response on the first chapter!!! i love everybody who left a comment, you guys make the world go round <3

Wylan is pretty sure that Jesper Fahey is stalking him.

For one, Jesper seems to be standing by his locker every time Wylan goes to put his books away, always giving Wylan a bright grin and commenting on the amount of books Wylan's carrying, how overly cheerful Heleen looked this morning ("I hate that woman, I bet she's thinking of ways to sabotage my Dutch grade even further") or even the weather, for heaven's sake. Wylan's never quite sure what to answer, and usually opts for nodding along politely, wondering what exactly Jesper is up to.

For another, Fahey has taken to greeting Wylan loudly and unsubtly whenever he passes him in the hallway, as well as yelling across the cafeteria to where Wylan sits in the corner for lunch break, alone at a table. This seating arrangement wasn't actually a problem before - Wylan doesn't mind solitude at all, and it kept people from paying him too much attention for an hour every day, which was definitely a plus - but now Jesper's calling attention to it with his loud greetings, and it's getting embarrassing. Wylan is considering having his lunch at one of the empty tables in the hallway.

A lot of people have noticed the special interest Fahey has taken in Wylan, and for the most part, it seems to be working in his favour. The Brekker gang are people you want to keep on your side, so now that Jesper appears to be acquainted with Wylan most kids seem to figure that harassing him is not worth the trouble it could cause for them. And really, Wylan is grateful.

He's just wondering what Fahey's angle is here, though.

He's seen Jesper with so many girls all over the place that the chance that he's gay is pretty slim, so Wylan has to consider the fact that this may be an elaborate prank, of the kind that works out very badly for the people involved. The people who are not part of scary cliques that may be actual gangs, that is. Namely, Wylan.

So sue him for holding back and not talking back to Jesper as easily as the other boy does. Wylan has seen enough shit in his high school career. What little there is left of his dignity - and it's not much, truly - is not being stepped on by Jesper Fahey, the man with the power. Wylan is making it through high school in one piece and getting the heck out as soon as possible.

Though it hasn't escaped his notice that when Jesper smiles, he looks absolutely adorable with those dimples in his cheeks.

\---

So, the part where he was going to make it out of school in one piece may need some revising. 

He's not sure what he's done to make Rutger so angry, but the asshole seems to have it out for him. Wylan can barely walk to class without being tripped up somewhere or hearing a hiss of something offensive or incorrect thrown his way. Really, up to now it really wasn't anything he couldn't handle - after all, he'd grown used to paying this kind of abuse little mind. 

However, Rutger seems to have stepped up his game, Wylan thinks, backed into the corner of the bike stall just outside school whilst Rutger and his lackeys, Henk and Klaas, advance threateningly. The identical menacing looks on their faces must have been practiced, because they're pretty impressive. Wylan is impressed. Also frightened out of his wits.

He hadn't seen anyone when he'd walked into the bike stall, and he considers the idea that maybe they had been waiting around the corner for him to show up, but dismisses it on account of it being a stretch of the imagination that they'd come up with a plan as sophisticated as that. They must've come in as well, seen Wylan, and taken the opportunity handed to them on a silver platter.

And Wylan can't just dodge them, because then they'd probably mess with his bike, and if his bike is messed with, his father will undoubtedly kill him. Someone punctured both of Wylan's tires last month, and despite his repeated insistence that _he didn't have anything to do with it, how on earth was this his fault, seriously, Father, please-_ he'd gotten the shit kicked out of him anyway, because that was his life.

Not that he was the self-pitying kind. Though sometimes, he thought he had every right to be, to be honest.

"What do you guys want?" he calls out, in the hopes that they'll either leave or start a villain-type monologue that will buy him time to get the heck out of here.

"Heard a rumour that you like to suck dick," Rutger says slowly, enunciating each word carefully. Wylan resists the urge to groan loudly. Of course they have to make a point out of that, too, like there's a single aspect of him and his personality that the world doesn't immediately detest.

They're advancing on him, and he really doesn't see much opportunity to make it out of the bike shed alive, so he shrugs. "Why, would you like your dick sucked?"

That, of course, earns him a punch in the gut, and he doubles over, keening. Christ, Henk must be hitting the gym every week, because those biceps? Not for show.

Rutger looms over him like a cartoon character, menacing and framed by his lackeys on either side. At least Wylan is the protagonist in this story, he thinks morosely, and then perks up slightly when he considers that this is how Spider-Man started out, too.

Then, suddenly, a face appears over Rutger's shoulder, and it's so unexpected that Wylan's mouth falls open for a moment. Then again, Fahey has been following him around in a way that's bordering on creepy for the past week, so he's not sure why he's so surprised. He's glad for the temporary reprieve, though, as Rutger spins around and stares at the newcomer.

"The fuck do you want?" he spits out, cold and angry. _'Stay out of our business here'_ is the clearly implied message.

"What's going on here?" Jesper asks in a voice that is deceptively calm.

Wylan, whose self-preservation instincts have apparently all flown out the window, quips from where he's fallen to the floor, "My pal here is in need of some services, so if you wouldn't mind ..."

Rutger whips around, and Wylan barely sees the fist coming before it knocks into the side of his head with a force that gives him whiplash. He hears rather than feels his head crash down into the paved ground of the bike stalls, and through his ringing ears he hears a vague yelling before his vision grows pleasantly white and he decides to take a small nap.

\---

He wakes up to the sound of shouting and Jesper's head looming over him. He blinks away the weird spots in his vision. Everything feels a little bit like he's on a boat, or like he's been sucked into a black hole.

Jesper is whisper-shouting at someone outside Wylan's vision, not loudly enough to make his head hurt more than it already does but rather urgent. After a while, Wylan decides to listen to what he's saying, because that's polite.

"-how bad it is!" Jesper is hissing at the other person. "He could be fucking dying for all we know! Don't tell me that you -"

"- have biology and know better? Fuck you, Jesper, I’m practically accepted in medical school already, I know ten times as much about the human body as you, and there is no way he's just gonna die from a minor goddamn head wound, get your act together -"

"You call that a minor head wound? There's blood all over the fucking ground, how is this not freaking you out, holy shit!"

He's cursing an awful lot, Wylan thinks distantly, and cursing is bad. "Potty mouth," he says accusingly, except it doesn't quite come out the way he had in mind, too slurred and like he's talking through a mouthful of sand.

"Holy fuck, thank fucking God," Jesper says, sounding very relieved and kind of proving Wylan's point. "You're awake, how are you feeling? What year is it? What's your name? Who's the president of the United States?"

"Have you forgotten all those things?" Wylan mumbles clumsily. "That's probably not good. Maybe you have a head injury. You should have her check that out." He lifts a hand and points vaguely in the direction of the other person, though he refuses to lift his head and look who it is. The ground is very comfortable.

She snorts, and leans into his view, giving him a view of her breasts that would absolutely blow his mind if he were into that kind of thing. She looks pleased, and a lot less stressed out than Jesper, who is still hovering in the corner of his eyesight. “Glad to know someone here recognises my clearly superior medical knowledge. Can you sit up?”

He considers it, then nods, despite Jesper’s frantic head-shaking. The girl extends her hand and he grips it, allowing her to pull him up. The world spins a little, but then calms down. His head feels like somebody is drumming onto his skull from the inside.

“Where did they go?” Wylan asks suddenly, a twinge of panic hitting him. At their confused looks, he elaborates, “Rutger, and the other guys, you know?”

“Ah,” Jesper nods. “They scampered off when you hit the ground and got knocked unconscious. Worried you might be dead, the dumbasses.” 

The girl says, with a smirk, “If I recall correctly, you were shitting yourself for the same reason a minute ago.”

Jesper throws her a murderous look, but she doesn’t seem to care, just smirks and scoots over to look at the back of Wylan’s head. Her fingers in his curls are gentle and motherly, and he feels an insane mix of discomfort and peace at the same time. 

“I gotta go,” he says quickly, “I need to be home in time, thanks for helping out and hanging out, I gotta -” He makes a weird hand gesture that conveys absolutely nothing.

“You’re not getting on your bike right now,” the girl says immediately, authoritatively. “That’s the worst idea I’ve heard all day, and I spent most of it around Jesper.” The latter scoffs, offended. “You can come with us, and we’ll get you some painkillers. Kaz carries those around all the time, right?” The last question is directed at Jesper.

“Yeah, he does.” Jesper perks up. “That’s a good idea. Let’s get you up and at ‘em,” he says to Wylan, getting to his own feet and holding out his hands for Wylan to grab onto.

It’s not a good idea, Wylan knows. His father is going to be furious even if he goes home right now, because he’s not sure how long he was out but he must be pretty late by now. His father doesn’t like it when he comes home late. On the other hand, though, his head still feels like he’s done a round in a washing machine, and there’s an insistent pain in it that won’t go away. He’s not entirely sure how good an idea it would be to get on a bike right now, either.

He lets Jesper help him up, and stands unsteadily.

The girl throws an arm casually around his shoulder, like they’re best friends already. “Al _right_!” Let’s have you meet the dream team!” She leans in to stage-whisper, “They’re definitely not the dream team.”

“Like, the worst possible team in the world,” Jesper agrees, as they steer Wylan out of the bike stalls and toward the school. “If this world ever depended on us to save it, it would crash and burn.”

“I’m Nina, by the way,” the girl announces, and Wylan, considering the gossip that he hears most, comes to the conclusion that it must be Nina Zenik, the girl who made a guy generally acknowledged to be a sexist jerk cry once in the middle of the cafeteria and is, of course, part of Brekker’s gang. He shouldn’t be associating with these people, he thinks numbly, his father is not going to like this one bit.

“And you’re Wylan, right?” Nina continues as they walk through the back entrance into the school. “Jesper’s told me _all_ about you.” She smiles devilishly at Jesper, whose cheeks grow a little darker. He scowls at Nina very hard.

Wylan is not sure what to make of this.

They’re leading him towards their study room, becomes clear very quickly, which is very worrying on many levels, not in the least because Wylan is the kind of student who learns early on to stay far, far away from the cool kids’ hang out spots. Nina seems entirely unconcerned, chattering along the entire way, whilst Wylan grows antsier and Jesper scowls more and more at every comment she makes at his expense.

“I do hope Kaz is around,” she remarks thoughtfully. “Did he have business to attend to today?” The air quotes around ‘business’ are almost visible from the way she says it.

Jesper shrugs.

“Kaz is a secret drug dealer,” Nina whispers to Wylan with a grin. “Don’t tell anyone about that, though.”

“I won’t,” Wylan says, and tries to make a shocked face, although Kaz could really use some subtlety in his dealings, because if _Wylan_ had noticed, the entire school must know by now. 

“Good boy,” she says with a wink and a smirk. Wylan blushes. “Okay, we’re here. Prepare to have your socks blown off.”

“Don’t oversell it,” Jesper mutters.

And before Wylan can back out, announce that he has a dentist appointment he’s forgotten about or a grievously ill family member to take care of at home, Nina opens the door and gives him a small shove inside.

It’s a little anticlimactic. There are three people sitting at the desk in the middle of the small room, two boys and a girl. The Indian girl has a school book open in front of her but is holding her phone behind it - Wylan can make out the Candy Crush screen on it. The other two guys are in some kind of argument. The big blond one has his feet on the table, and a puddle of mud is gathering beneath his huge boots. He’s passionately yelling at the impassive other guy.

Who must be Kaz Brekker.

“Welcome to the lion’s den,” Nina announces brightly. “This is where the magic happens.”


	3. Chapter 3

Calling their study room ’the lion’s den’ might be overstating it a little, in Inej’s opinion, but then, Nina is pretty much the queen of dramatics, not counting Matthias. And it does have a nice ring to it. Maybe they should put it on a sign on the door. Though, when she thinks about it, it’s not actually strictly _their_ room, though they and the rest of the student body sure like to act like it.

Wylan, who Inej recognises from Jesper’s endless and annoying pointing him out in the hallways, has a look on his face like a deer caught in headlights. Inej knows that their group (particularly Kaz) often have that effect on people, and it’s something they’ve joked about a lot between the five of them, but she feels a little bad. Not that any of them are being purposefully intimidating, of course - Matthias pulls his feet down from the table quickly when Nina walks in, and Kaz simply looks bored, as usual. As for Inej - 

“Is that blood in your neck?” she asks, shocked, pushing her seat back with a scrape. Wylan’s hand goes up to feel it automatically, and it comes away crusted in reddish-brown. He doesn’t look too surprised.

“Yeah, Wylan here had a small accident involving a fist and the ground,” Nina announces, utterly unconcerned, herding him into the room. Jesper follows, looking a lot more worried. “It’s nothing really serious, I think,” she continues, “unless you start throwing up, in which case, you know, it could be a concussion. But I’m sure you’re fine.”

“Maybe you should see a real doctor, just in case,” Inej tells the boy, and pulls out a chair for him. “Nina hasn’t actually attended a day of medical school, obviously, no matter how much she likes to act like it.”

“My parents are doctors! I know things!” 

Wylan seems wholly uneager to sit down at their table next to Kaz, but he’s looking quite wobbly, and before Inej can say anything to reassure him, Matthias pipes up from across the table, “Sit the fuck down, son, you look like you’re going to keel over any second.”

This is met with stares.

“ _Son_?” Wylan says eventually, indignation evident in his voice. “I’m, like, two years younger than you, maybe!” 

“I’m pretty sure you have no right to use the word ‘son’ in that way unless you’re older than forty-five and a father yourself,” Nina agrees with a huge grin. 

“It’s a free country,” Matthias says, blushing furiously. 

There are groans all around the table, except from Kaz, who looks like he’d like to continue this conversation. Jesper cuts him off quickly, to Inej’s relief, because arguing with Matthias is both a waste of breath and guaranteed to leave you utterly exhausted at his sheer lack of common sense, and affect innocent bystanders, too.

“Kaz,” Jesper says, “we thought you’d probably have some painkillers for Wylan?”

Kaz narrows his eyes. “Are we talking painkillers, or _painkillers_? Because, you know, I’ve got both, so…”

“Oh, my God,” Inej says, eyes wide. 

“It’s cool,” Wylan mumbles from where he’s sagged into his seat, one hand on the back of his head, “literally everybody knows about the drugs. I’ll just take painkillers though, no fancy stuff please.” He looks slightly bashful, as if it’s his fault that Kaz is so completely lacking in subtlety that the entire school has figured out his act. 

“When you say ‘everybody’,” Nina starts, with some apprehension.

“Like, if you asked somebody in Australia who Kaz Brekker is, they’d probably answer ‘how the heck do you not know the most obvious drug dealer of this day and age?’” Wylan immediately looks at Kaz, horrified, but Kaz looks more amused than annoyed, which is a relief. He’s not always good at taking jokes, Inej knows from miserable experiences. That one time with Matthias and the aviator sunglasses is not a memory she ever wants to relive.

“That won’t hurt business, at least,” Kaz says easily, adjusting his gloves and grabbing his cane where it’s resting against the table. “I’ll go get some regular old painkillers from my locker. Sit tight.” 

Wylan seems to relax more the moment Kaz leaves the room, which is perhaps not a surprise, given the impression he clearly has of the guy, but it still amuses Inej endlessly. She wants to ask about what happened, but figures she’ll interrogate Jesper later - she doesn’t want to upset Wylan any further.

Wylan has awkwardly positioned himself on his chair so that he’s as far away from Matthias as possible, who seems to be the next biggest threat now that Kaz is gone. This causes him to practically touch knees with Inej, and she takes the opportunity to ask him calmly, in her practiced mum-tone, “So, you must’ve noticed Jesper’s rather desperate attempts to hang out with you these past weeks?”

Jesper makes an indignant sound and tries to protest, but Wylan giggles - actually giggles - and says, “Yeah, I’ve been kind of confused about that, to be honest? What was your agenda there?” The question is directed at Jesper, who goes a rather worrying shade of purple and doesn’t know what to answer.

Inej, like the saint she is, intervenes for his sake, silently telling Jesper that he’d better appreciate how amazing she is and pay her back in chocolates. “We heard that you were the biggest maths whizz in your year, possibly in the school?” Actually, Inej was the only one who had heard that, because when Jesper took a liking to someone she liked to ask around and figure out beforehand whether she was giving them the ‘hurt him and I’ll kill you’ talk. “Jesper, unfortunately, is the _worst_ mathematician in this school, and was hoping that you’d tutor him. Isn’t that right?” She casts a meaningful look at Jesper.

“ _Yes_! Yes, that is exactly right.” Jesper nods frantically, a large frozen smile pasted on his face. “Tutoring. Yeah. Exactly.” 

Nina sighs in exasperation, clearly aimed at Jesper, and pipes up, “If you want, you can hang out with all of us and help me, too, and maybe Matthias? None of us are very good at maths, and we’d love it if you hung out with us sometimes, right?” She looks around the table for support.

Matthias grunts noncommittally. Jesper is staring at Nina, wide-eyed, either trying to convey ‘ _this is the worst thing you have ever done to me_ ’ or ‘ _this is the best thing you have ever done for me_ ’. 

“Absolutely!” Inej says, smiling warmly. “That would be great, if you wanted! If you want any help with English, or Dutch, we’d be happy to help, as well.”

“How did you -“ Wylan stares at her, eyes narrowed, and she backtracks quickly.

“Or, you know, any class you might need help with. Only if you want, of course.”

He still looks suspicious, but doesn’t say anything further about it, which Inej is absolutely okay with. At that moment, the door re-opens and Kaz walks in, carrying a can of beer and a small box of painkillers. He limps over to Wylan and puts both of them on the table in front of the boy, who stares.

“The beer’s for washing the pills down,” Kaz explains helpfully.

“Um,” Wylan says. “I don’t really -“ He cuts off, embarrassed.

Nina fishes a bottle of water from her bag and slides it over the table to him. “It’s cool, kid, Kaz is just trying to show off that he knows what alcohol is.” 

“I am doing what now?” Kaz demands, picking the beer up again and opening the can. Nina stares him down, in no way intimidated, and Kaz shrugs, chugging the beer down in one go like the giant show-off he is. Inej smiles, and quickly looks the other way before anyone catches her.

“So,” Jesper says, eager not to let the subject drop now that Nina’s supplied it so helpfully, “we were just telling Wylan that he could hang out with us and help us with our maths if he wanted to. Is that cool with you, Kaz?”

Kaz is silent for a moment, considering, as he crumples his beer can in his hand. He tosses it across the room, missing the waste basket by several feet, and decides, “Sure, if he can keep his mouth shut. We wouldn’t want the few Australians who weren’t keeping up to date on the news to figure out about the painkillers.” His face seems impassive, but Inej can see hints of a smirk hidden beneath his expressionless features.

Wylan, who obviously doesn’t know the guy as well, blushes furiously. “I wouldn’t tell anyone, I swear!” Then he seems to realise that he wasn’t reacting very eagerly to the idea. “I’m not sure though. I mean, it’s really nice of you guys to offer, and all, but my dad would totally kill me if I hung out with people like you guys, I think. No offence.” 

Matthias raises his eyebrows, like he’s forgotten he talks about the rest of the group in the same way every day of his life. “People like us? What’s that supposed to mean?” There’s his threatening face.

“Well.” Wylan looks appropriately threatened. “I mean, you guys are kind of - you kind of fit the description for a gang? Complete with the drug dealing, and probably other criminal activities I haven’t been informed of, and, I dunno… My dad’s really into studying real hard and getting into the Ivy Leagues, so there’s time for fun later, you know? I’m not sure he’d appreciate my hanging out with the Brekker crew.”

Kaz snorts. “The Brekker crew,” he mutters to himself, pleased.

Matthias makes a face. “No offence, but you’re, what, seventeen? And you’re still letting your dad pick your friends for you? Maybe start living for yourself a little, Daddy’s boy.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then Wylan says, quietly, “Don’t talk about things you don’t know a thing about.” There’s a quiet ferocity behind it, a trapped animal biting at his surroundings, and Matthias sits back a little.

“Damn. Sorry. Just saying,” he mutters, righteously.

Inej rolls her eyes, a little surprised at the reaction that Matthias’s comment got, and quickly says, “He didn’t know it was a sensitive subject, sorry. It’s your life.” Wylan nods, looking immensely conflicted. Inej adds, gently, “But if you want to come hang out with us, that would be really cool. And tutoring can’t be a problem, right? Spreading your knowledge, and all that?”

“Your dad wouldn’t need to know,” Jesper pipes up. 

“He’s on the school board,” Wylan mumbles, “he’d figure out,” but he’s also looking more determined. “You’re right, Matthias,” he says, slightly apprehensive but also sounding more decisive. Matthias raises both eyebrows, surprised. “My father doesn’t have to rule my whole life. Though I’m sixteen, not seventeen,” he adds, ears a little red, like he’s afraid that that will lose him their respect.

“Um.” Matthias looks around. “Awesome?”

“Awesome,” Nina agrees. “In fact, I have a test on differentiation in a few days, so if you want to -“ 

“Actually, I should get home now, before my father really does murder me,” Wylan interrupts, apologetic, but also with a hint of tension in his voice. Inej finds herself considering the possibility that Wylan really will get murdered when he gets home, and dismisses it as soon as it shows up. “Thanks for letting me hang out with you guys, that was really cool, and thanks, Kaz, for the painkillers. Also the beer.” He smiles politely, like he’s thanking a mum after a sleepover.

“Anytime you want to be introduced to the full scala of alcoholic beverages, you know where to find me,” Kaz tells him, throwing himself down into his seat again.

“Don’t encourage him!” Nina scolds him, putting a hand on Wylan’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the bike stalls. You’d better watch out cycling, don’t wanna get hit because you’re still dizzy and swerving all over the place.”

“Oh, no, I think I’m feeling a bit better,” Wylan says, lifting a hand to the back of his head to poke at it gently and wincing a little. “I’ll see you guys around,” he says, and lets Nina lead him out of the room. She throws a last look over her shoulder at Jesper and winks, very obviously, before closing the door behind her.

Jesper slides down his seat with a huge sigh.

“You owe us so bad,” Inej tells him sternly. He nods, not listening to her at all.

“I’m serious,” she says. “That’s, like, five home-cooked breakfasts on sleepovers in my future, and Nina’s too. I’d like a special thank-you at your wedding as your official, original matchmaker.”

That gets his attention.

“Fuck you,” he says, “I have enough game to not need a matchmaker, and definitely not one with as little smoothness as you.”

“Excuse me?” Inej gasps, mock-offended. “That was some of my finest work, I’ll have you know. Great dramatic flow, perfect delivery -“

“Fine, fine. Thank you. There will be a specific section of the wedding dedicated specially to you, and we’ll feature your face on the cake.”

“I’m holding you to that,” she tells him with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you want, maybe leave a comment? it would def make my day!!!


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